Yep, the improvised carrying solution will have a fair bit of encumbrance. The original hauling frame will have very little, but still a bit. Having things hanging off of you is still going to make a difference.
The point is it’s basic, if it’s basic they might not have thought of people getting lightning bolts shot at them in the first place, so there’s a good chance it won’t protect you properly, like all the other armor in the game that should really ground you out or act as a Faraday cage but doesn’t.